The two sides faced off, entering a stalemate. Although the three mecha were aiming their beam guns at Ling Lan and the other two on the ground, because Ling Hua was in Ling Lan's hands, they didn't dare to pull the trigger, lest they provoke Ling Lan into killing them.
Meanwhile, although Ling Qin and Ling Yu really wanted to help Ling Lan control Ling Hua, the three mecha knew that letting the three of them meet up was definitely not a good thing. Seeing that the two of them were about to move, they shot their beam guns at their feet, warning them not to act rashly, or else they would rather fight to the death.
Both sides were wary of each other, and didn't dare to move...
"Why?" The stalemate gave Ling Hua time to ask the question he had been harboring.
"There is only one possibility for the Ling family loyalists to not be able to save them in time, and that is to be ambushed and killed in battle. I think you should understand that very well." Ever since Ling Lan had been taught to read, she had openly flipped through the ancient books and historical documents preserved by the Ling family. Of course, she knew very well about the Ling family's training of loyalists — loyalists loyal to the Ling family would never choose to leave the side of the head of the family.
In the situation described by Ling Hua, the loyalists of the Ling family would only choose to fight to the death with their opponent, and not run away. They would never let the head of the family leave their sight, unless they were completely wiped out.
Ling Hua only smiled coldly at her words. "Don't you know that the Ling family has another rule? If the new head of the family wants the loyalists to protect him with their lives, he still has to gain the approval of us loyalists. Young Master Lan thinks you've done it? " A trace of mockery appeared on his lips. Ling Lan's wild conjectures and suspicious personality could very well cause the entire Ling family to turn against her and destroy the entire Ling family. His choice wasn't wrong, he just hadn't succeeded.
Ling Hua sighed. "Young Master Lan, you're at fault this time." Lady Luck was on Ling Lan's side today — his luck was really bad. However, he didn't want Ling Lan to be too proud of herself. He continued, "However, you shouldn't be so paranoid and don't trust the people around you. In the future, which loyalist of the Ling family would dare to protect you with their lives? Perhaps the next person you suspect will be himself. "
Ling Hua's words caused the expressions of Ling Qin and Ling Yu behind him to change. Ling Qin understood that Ling Hua was trying to sow the seeds of doubt in the Ling family's loyalists, making it impossible for them to trust Ling Lan. Ling Hua wanted to make sure that Ling Lan would never be acknowledged by the Ling family's loyalists... and Ling Yu was worried that he would also be suspected by Ling Lan.
Ling Lan saw the changes in Ling Qin and Ling Yu's expressions very clearly. Little Four's comprehensive surveillance was very effective — no small movements on the field could escape its notice, including the dagger that had slipped out of Ling Hua's sleeve.
Ling Lan was secretly on guard. She sneered and said, "Wrong? If your mecha had any traces of battle on it, perhaps I would have doubted my own conjecture … unfortunately, you forgot to put on a good show. You should have compared it to Lingyu's mecha and added traces of countless beams hitting your own mecha. This way, perhaps it would have been able to prove your words that I am really a paranoid person. "
Ling Lan calmly pointed out Ling Hua's key mistakes. Hearing Ling Lan's words, Ling Qin's face was filled with excitement. So, his Young Master Lan had unknowingly become so powerful — the head of the Ling Xiao family really had a successor. A flash of regret passed through Ling Qin's heart — if only Young Master Lan was really the young master!
Ling Yu was enlightened. So, Young Master Lan's seemingly childish actions actually had a deeper meaning behind them. He looked at the small figure hanging on Ling Hua's back, completely holding Ling Hua hostage, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.
Young Master Lan was so calm and intelligent — as expected of their family head. At just six years old, he was already more powerful than them. Ling Yu believed that he would become even more powerful in the future. Ling Yu's heart was filled with reverence. At this moment, he truly saw Ling Lan as the family head he had to pledge his loyalty to — he was willing to give up his life for her.
"So, you were touching our mecha to check for traces of battle." Ling Hua also understood where he had let the cat out of the bag, and was instantly filled with regret.
He had actually been tricked by Ling Lan. He had thought that Ling Lan was just a child, and that no matter how smart Ling Lan was, Ling Lan would not be able to see through the trap he had set up. Who would have thought that the other would be so aberrant? From the moment they had met, not only had he not been able to deceive the other, he had instead unknowingly fallen into the other's trap.
In truth, Ling Lan had not been sure who had betrayed her from the start, which was why she had plotted to take away Ling Hua and Ling Yu's laser pistols to ensure her and Ling Qin's safety. Then, she had pretended to be fascinated by the mecha. As she had touched the outer shell of the mecha, she had also taken the opportunity to inspect the external condition of the mecha, thus confirming her suspicions.
Ling Hua smiled bitterly. If he had treated Ling Lan as an opponent on the same level as himself from the start, he would not have allowed Ling Lan to get close to his mecha and see through his lies, and he would not have lost so badly.
"Can't you think that it's because I'm stronger? The leader is definitely stronger than the team members, "Ling Hua asked again, unwilling to give up.
Ling Lan was silent for a moment, and then said regretfully, "Actually, I want to think that way too. I really don't want the Ling family loyalists to betray the Ling family and betray me one day... but, you've forgotten the most important point. The most important rule of our Ling family."
Ling Lan's voice was very soft, but it exploded in Ling Hua's ears like thunder. "While we still have strength, we are not allowed to abandon our family. Ling Hua, the loyalist of the Ling family, is indeed not required to work for the current head of the family before he has acknowledged him. That's why I don't doubt Ling Yu's loyalty, because his mecha has several beam wounds that almost pierced through his cockpit. In other words, he almost died there. He did everything he could … "Hearing this, Ling Yu's heart warmed, and his eyes moistened instantly.
"But you're different. Your mecha doesn't have any wounds at all. That means that you were still able to handle the situation at the time. Although I didn't receive your acknowledgement, I am still a member of the Ling family. I am still one of your family members. But you, under those circumstances, abandoned me. What does this action mean?"
Ling Hua was speechless. It turned out that he had inadvertently exposed his true thoughts. He had underestimated this six-year-old Ling Lan. There was a faint sense of regret in his heart. If he had known that Ling Lan was so intelligent, he would have honestly protected Ling Lan and not accepted that temptation. If he had taken this huge risk, perhaps his child would have been able to receive the best nurturing from the Ling family because of his hard work …
"Young Master Lan, I regret it very much. If I had known that you were such an intelligent child, I wouldn't have accepted the other's temptation and betrayed you. Unfortunately, it's already too late. I don't dare to ask for your forgiveness. I only hope that you won't take your anger out on my family and child. This is all my fault." Ling Hua sighed softly, unable to hide the regret in his eyes as he spoke with a sincere expression.
Ling Lan replied expressionlessly, "I would never take my anger out on anyone."
"Thank you, Young Master Lan!" Ling Hua's thanks had just rung out when a sudden change occurred. His left hand grabbed onto Ling Lan's hand that was gripping his throat, while his right hand swung back fiercely. The dagger was aimed at Ling Lan's right wrist — the laser pistol that was pressed against the side of his head was the most dangerous to him. He had to take advantage of the fact that Ling Lan was unprepared to deal with this hidden danger.
However, he felt a burning sensation in his head, and then an endless void … he couldn't feel his right hand anymore. Had he missed? Why hadn't his left hand grabbed that small hand at his throat?
Then, he saw the scene in his vision change, from three mecha to an endless sea of blue … that was the last thing he felt.
"Leader!" A shrill cry came from the three mecha.
Then, the three mecha decisively pulled the triggers in their hands …
Ling Qin and Ling Yu leapt towards Ling Lan in terror, wanting to block Ling Lan before the beam hit.
Only Ling Lan stared coldly at the three mecha, not even bothering to dodge.
Ling Qin and Ling Yu pushed Ling Lan to the ground, using their bodies to cover Ling Lan completely, almost suffocating Ling Lan to death.
Ling Lan said helplessly, "Grandpa Ling Qin, and Ling Yu, you guys are about to crush me to death. Can't you guys get up first?"
Ling Qin said angrily, "Hide well. Even if we die, you definitely can't die. You are the hope of our Ling family."
Ling Yu nodded vehemently. "I am Young Master's loyalist. Dying for you is my responsibility and honour." That said, he did not forget to press Ling Lan's head down again, afraid that Ling Lan would be hit by one of the unblinking beams. Ling Yu was very curious as to how he had managed to survive for so long under the barrage of three beam guns, even having the time to answer Young Master Lan's question.
Ling Lan could not hold it in any longer. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Don't you guys feel any pain on your body?"
Ling Qin paused. That's right, why didn't they feel any pain? Could it be that their bodies were so badly damaged that they no longer felt any pain? Of course, he knew that was impossible. The only possibility was that the opponent had not attacked …
Ling Yu also understood. They turned around and saw the three mechas standing there, still in their attacking positions. They didn't move at all, as though they were frozen in place.
When they looked at the centre of the mecha, they instantly understood. The cockpits of the three mecha had actually disappeared at some point, leaving behind three large holes.
Not too far away from the mecha, the cockpits of the three mecha were scattered, flashing rescue signals. The three cockpits had obviously been set to space rescue mode — as long as no one opened them from the outside, the people inside would not be able to open them.
From the looks of it, the three cockpits had been automatically set to rescue mode by the mecha. Now, they were like turtles in a jar.
Seeing this, Ling Qin and Ling Yu were overjoyed. They quickly climbed to their feet and helped Ling Lan up. Then, Ling Yu ran over to inspect the three cockpits. He had to make sure that the other party was really locked in there and could not come out. After all, they had weapons on them — he could not afford to be careless.
Meanwhile, Ling Qin walked over to Ling Hua's corpse, his face sorrowful. Ling Hua was the successor he had groomed single-handedly. Ling Hua was outstanding in all aspects, both in ability and charisma. All these years, as Ling Qin had gradually delegated his authority, Ling Hua had gradually gained the trust of the Ling family loyalists, slowly accepting him as the next leader of the Ling family loyalists.
Ling Qin had originally planned that as long as Ling Hua acknowledged Ling Lan, he would relinquish the position of leader of the Ling family loyalists and let Ling Hua take over. He had believed that as long as Ling Hua protected Ling Lan well, the glory of the Ling family would continue, and he would be able to face the two previous heads of the Ling family with a clear conscience in the afterlife.
But he had never imagined that the successor he had so carefully selected would betray them. His heart ached, but he could not help but tremble with fear.
Ling Hua, what exactly made you choose to betray Ling Lan, betray the Ling family? Could it be that there was another you in the Ling family?
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